A friend and former colleague forwards a daily thought that I thought this AM on many fronts was apt to post to my blog and a good start to the week:

“You are stronger than anything standing in your way. Because you have a purpose that cannot be denied.  Often that purpose is difficult and inconvenient to follow. Yet it is never impossible to follow. There is always a way. If the path you’re on is blocked, look for another route, because it is surely there. You can be flexible, innovative, determined and persistent. You can imagine any possibility, and then work to make that possibility real. Every moment, every circumstance, every turn of events presents you with an opportunity to act. Take those opportunities, make those actions come to life, and express the purpose that is uniquely you. Step up and embrace the responsibility for moving your life forward. Whatever may come, there is always a way.” Ralph Marston

Ronn Torossian

5W PR

For as long as I can remember, first thing every morning, I always looked forward to opening the door, grabbing the newspapers and reading  them.  On this fall Sunday, I have spent the early morning thoroughly enjoying the Sunday New York Times.  Every week there is nothing that beats the Sunday Times.  From a story analyzing former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s day-to-day life to a Russian oligarch challenging the Kremlin, nearly every aspect of the paper is special and amazing.

As I have often said, to be successful in PR one must read — and read often – but I can’t see being anywhere in life and not reading regularly.

Ronn Torossian
5W PR

What a day today was…

It started at 8 a.m. in the 5W PR conference room with a presentation to clients, new business prospects and staff by Hank Sheinkopf.  Hank is a friend and renowned political consultant, who touches major political and business leaders on a daily basis.  I really enjoyed his smart, focused and inspiring perspective on this election and the economy, filled pithy truths like, “This, and most American elections boil down to 500,000 white men in a few states.”  Another take-away I enjoyed was, “Truth in politics doesn’t matter – Victory does.”

One of my favorite parts about owning a successful public relations agency is my ability to interact with people like Hank, who are so well-connected to top segments of business, politics and the like.  To hear Hank tell war stories about political battle is simply amazing and interesting on many different fronts.  He discussed getting a call from then New Jersey Governor Mcgreevey at 8 a.m. regarding his scandal and sitting in the Governor’s mansion and (amazingly) being asked, “Do you think this will be big news?”  Simply amazing and interesting on many different fronts.

After Hank’s talk, I ran to a 10 a.m. meeting with a major client with whom we maintain a very close relationship. We talked about some fun and interesting campaigns they are working on.  Afterward, I reinforced to my staff that during tight times it’s imperative to over-communicate daily activities, pulling out our most creative (cost effective) ideas/pitches and educating clients about our service each and every day.

My noon meeting was a roundtable networking lunch of 25 hand-picked entrepreneurs, from technology to corporate concerns, nightlife conglomerates to non-profit leaders.  Just 25 individuals sitting around the table discussing business (although, of course, the conversation morphed to the economy and politics).

Then, it was back to my office for weekly round-up meetings with my direct reports.  I always want to know first, the worst thing going on in each group. (Is there an employee problem? Client surprise? Top line and bottom line.)

Really a nutty and busy day.  But times like today are always inspiring as an entrepreneur.  I believe the ability to determine one’s future exists for all people.  But successful people just have that something extra

I received an email from a Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi at the end of the day with a quote I enjoyed, and wanted to pass it along. The Chabad Rabbi of blessed memory in difficult times would continuously quote the saying, “Tracht Gut Vet Zayn Gut – Think positive and it will be positive!”

… .and it’s funny: as I read the quote, I passed by a huge Jay-Z banner which said, “Refuse to Lose.” Which for me, is essentially the same message.

To me, at times such as these, anyone who isn’t concerned about the economy lives on Mars.  It’s a tough time, and it requires extra focus.  But successful people dig down further, work harder and make it happen.  As we lead into the weekend, I will end with another quote which I have used before, by Roger Ailes (Fox News): “If you run into people who are negative and always telling you that the cat got run over, and you couldn’t get the car started, and you’ve got a cold, the suits are idiots and life isn’t fair, you know, you need to get away from those people because they will suck you under and hold you down and drown you.”

Just Do It.  Refuse to Lose.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

So it’s not exactly a news flash for me to say that it’s not the ideal time to search for an entry level public relations job (or any job for that matter). So, imagine my surprise this morning when I got two astounding emails in a row, requesting just that.

The first was sent from a blackberry and literally had no periods.  It contained only one run on sentence, which lasted maybe 10 lines. This person recently moved from another country and worked in real estate, but her “life dream” was to work in PR.  And that was why she deserved a job here.  To make matters worse, she then followed up with two phone calls (which I didn’t return).

The next email was sent from an email address rife with four-letter words, though the attached resume was actually very good, after receiving these two emails, I felt a responsibility to share a word of warning.  Scoring an interview is much more than just a decent resume.

Our PR agency is constantly hiring, but we also turn away countless aspiring publicists.  Suffice it to say, neither of these individuals received a call back. 

Now, back to work…

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

A few months back I had a spirited discussion (argument?) with an acquaintance regarding some viral marketing issues. Without discussing details, I vehemently disagreed with him and told him what he was saying was incorrect, based on facts. He retorted that he was going to urge his organization to spend money pursuing his viewpoint, because some leading PR-and-marketing blog research and books told him he was right. I replied that it wasn’t just me who would disagree, but I was also confident all of my competitors would share my opinion. He told me he didn’t have time to meet with agencies and that reading the blogosphere was enough. I didn’t see him for a few months, but today I ran into him. He told me how right I was and what a mistake he made…and therein lies a major problem with the blogosphere: one’s ability to decipher authenticity.

The fact is that someone with a blog has a following, but does that person actually make a living doing what they are writing about? The same goes with books. That is a question I always ask when reading material, online or off. Are they successful at doing what they say? For example, in the PR agency business, shouldn’t someone like a Richard Edelman not hold more weight than a blog written by a college student or a one-person PR practitioner? Would an agency owner not know more and have better insight than an account executive? (Another example: If brands trust someone to spend their money, I trust that person’s opinion more than someone who theorizes…. The same way anyone who manages my personal finances or cold-calls me promising major returns on money. My retort is always, “Great. Send me your personal tax returns — I want to see what you invest in.)

A major issue for public relations, marketing, and advertising bloggers and information that exists is authenticity. There are so few owners of agencies in the space who actively blog on relevant topics that it makes it hard to qualify “true” expertise. Shouldn’t rankings in this arena — such as Adage’s Power 150  — be skewed towards those who actually make a living (and a good one at that) doing what they blog about (i.e. do people actively listen to them)?

Conversely, no matter what the blogosphere might say about international diplomacy, I’d think in just a few months Condoleezza Rice probably has a better understanding of international diplomacy than does a professor from American University. Shouldn’t a blog by an expert have more weight than a commentator?

Reminds me of a quote I heard recently from a close friend: “Professional work is not an academic exercise or a marketing experiment. It’s the difference between making money and philosophy.

Ronn Torossian
5WPR

I keep money and investments, both personally and for 5W PR, at a number of different financial institutions. Given the uncertain financial times, I am analyzing my banking relationships and where exactly our money is parked. Who would have ever predicted it would come to this in the year 2008 in the USA?

In any case, banks have a difficult argument these days to make to convince people that investments are safe.  Right now, perhaps the most important thing a bank can do is communicate with their clients. All my folks here know my mantra: You know what’s better and more important than new business?  Existing business.

As important as customer acquisition is, customer retention (and security for those customers) should now be the number one marketing priority for banks.  I think that many banks, large and small, need to immediately institute marketing materials and proactive measures reassuring customers that their investments are safe (and spin it however fits them best – Cash on hand, debt, etc.).  Real, perceived or otherwise, the elephant in the room needs to be addressed.  I am sure that the issue is vexing many consumers, and it’s surprising that banks haven’t done more to alleviate fears, even something as simple as putting signage up in walk-in locations to ease fears.

This posting was spawned by an email from an acquaintance who works at Signature (with whom I don’t bank) emailing me proactive communication about the security of banking with them.  Hopefully for everyone’s peace of mind, and the security of the banking industry, proactive communication keeps coming.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

By now, many in the PR industry have heard about Jason Calacanis’ comments and thoughts on PR firms.  His recent post on Silicon Alley Insider, “How to Get PR for Your Startup: Fire Your PR Company,” has caused an uproar in PRland and much commentary. 

In general, criticism of PR firms makes sense.  Nearly all PR firms just aren’t that good.  They’re not creative; they’re not strategic; they’re not focused.  Yes, there are a few that deliver great results, but many more that are really terrible.  That’s why at 5WPR we pride ourselves on being starkly different from almost every other PR firm on the landscape.  However, Calacanis’ advice hits a very different nerve as far as criticism goes.  I won’t get into the DNA of his concepts, which have been dissected repeatedly across the internet, but I will say that I disagree.

So naturally, I want to meet him.  I recently asked for an introduction from a mutual friend, and while I have read his blog before, I started to read it more religiously.  In the process, I found a brilliant post on finding new talent that I not only want to commend, but also to emulate. Here’s the meat of the entry:

I hate using recruiters because they typically send you, well, not the best candidates.  The best candidates come from people you know telling you about people who are in good jobs already. As such, I’d like to ask you to send me the top five technology people you know in Los Angeles. Just send me some combination of their names, emails, mobile phone, and where they work. If you want to do an email intro that’s fine too.

I will do all the work in contacting them, and if we hire them and they stay past 90 days I will give you $3,000 cash money. This seems really fair to me since a recruiter would be 3-5x that amount, but the recruiter would–possibly–spend more time doing this. All I’m asking you for is FIVE NAMES.

I couldn’t agree more that the best candidates are those that are well-networked and well-known, not always the ones looking for a job.  They’re the ones who have a reputation for excellence.

I’m looking for these types of people – the ones that exude excellence.  So I’m going to match Jason’s offer: send me the names of the top five public relations people you know in New York or Los Angeles, and I might send you $3,000 to $15,000 in cash.

Email me the names at Ronn@5wpr.com.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Whenever there’s an action, there’s a reaction, and the media reacted to Black Sunday from every angle.  PRWeek summed up some of the different coverage.

Whenever a significant (or even not-so-significant) event happens, there are countless ways the media can approach the issue, and hence, many angles good PR firms can capitalize on for their clients.  We often talk about pro-active media campaigns versus reactive media campaigns.  There’s of course incredible value in pre-planned outreach, but rapid response to hot issues in the media is also essential.  Yesterday was one of those quickfire, reactive days.

The streets of NYC are oddly quiet today, and they really shouldn’t be.  The week after Labor Day is supposed to be back-to-work, nose-to-the-grind time.  The gym this morning, my favorite midtown restaurant, Starbucks, the midtown streets – all are eerily quiet.  I’m not the only who’s noticed.  Two clients also mentioned the silence that’s befallen the city, which makes me think it must be true.

My two cents?  Work hard.  Hard work can’t be replaced.  Keep focused and keep pushing.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Every day this week, I walked one block south of our offices to the tents at Bryant Park. Out on the street in front of the Fashion Week tents, lights were flashing and people were gawking. But while some were there for the fashion, I was there to people watch. As a marketer, I’m always inspired by the creative street theater and guerrilla marketing events saturating the Bryant Park sidewalk during Fashion Week. People watching allows me to see trends and make observations first hand. Reading a media report is a far cry from the palpable excitement on the street.

This morning, for instance, I encountered a few cross dressers promoting the Janice Dickinson show swarmed by photographers and a crowd of people. It’s a great example of a low cost, high impact way to capture influencers.

While I won’t reveal here the many successful stunts 5WPR executed for Fashion Week, I can say that street theater and guerrilla marketing are amazing ways for brands to capture mind share and media share at huge events, without incurring huge costs.

If you’re open to big ideas and have a entrepreneurial mindset, you can always find a way to incorporate your brand into the mecca of huge events, without having to pay the multimillion dollar price tag. Whether Fashion Week, The Superbowl or Sundance, 5W PR always finds creative ideas and angles to enter the media landscape, permeate the discussion and penetrate the tastemakers who attend. Brands need to seek creative, winning concepts… and winning sometimes means being outside rather than inside the box. Those who take the biggest risks with their brand often reap the biggest rewards. And by far the most attention.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Yesterday’s arrest of Kanye West at LAX was surprising to me primarily because it doesn’t happen more often.  West was arrested for suspicion of vandalism after confronting paparazzi media and allegedly smashing their  cameras.  The struggle between celebrities and the paparazzi is an issue that high profile people must deal with on a day-to-day basis, and it is extremely trying on both physical and emotional levels. It is incredible that today, even after the death of Princess Di, celebrities still have very little protective barriers between them and an intrusive swarm of prying media. Yes, people in the public-eye lose their right to complete privacy when they perform, appear in movies, or get rich by possessing rare athletic ability, but does that mean that there should be no boundaries whatsoever?  Should their children be endlessly subjected to flashing lights? Should they not be allowed to lead somewhat normal lives?

5W has worked with countless celebrities.  I vividly remember walking out of court with Lil’ Kim after she was sentenced in her perjury trial a few years ago. We were managing her crisis communications, and as we walked out the front door, we (Lil’ Kim, one security escort, two attorneys, two of her family friends and I) encountered at least 100 members of the media all jockeying for a shot or a comment.  It was a wall of reporters and photographers, flashbulbs blinking in her face. To say it was a mob scene is an understatement.  After the paparazzi got their pictures, they still wouldn’t move.  There was no choice but to push forward for the two blocks we were required to walk.  It was a very dangerous situation, and in LA, this happens every single day.

Managing the media for corporate clients is far different than managing celebrity-driven paparazzi media.  Every type of public relations, whether crisis-based or paparazzi, consumer or technology, requires different skills and a completely different set of “rules.” I don’t believe for a second that today’s incident between Kanye West and a swarm of paparazzi is an isolated occurrence, nor will it be the last time we read about a celebrity fighting for his privacy with paparazzi.

Ronn Torossian

5WPR

Reporters surrounded Lil Kim